In his arms
by samanddianefan10
Summary: After Diane's cat dies, she finds comfort in the most unlikely source- Sam. Things change, as they grow closer. How long can their newfound happiness last?
1. Chapter 1

Sam felt terrible, letting Diane leave like that. It was bad enough that her cat had died, but for her to have to deal with it all alone, well, that wasn't good. She was obviously quite distraught over the death, and he would be remorse if he were to leave her alone during her time of distress. He thought about the kiss, or rather, the almost kiss, and he had to admit that the thought didn't turn his head the way he thought it would have. But still, Diane wasn't close to her family, she didn't know anyone in Boston except for the gang at Cheers and a few of her classmates at Boston U. College. Probably half of her mates were males, and he knew how quickly they would seek to take advantage of her if they had seen her like this. No, he had to go to Diane.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Sam. Sweetheart can I come in?"

Reluctantly, Diane opened the door to her neat abode and let him in. "What do you want Sam? I've had a really long day and I'd rather just be alone if you don't mind."

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Diane. I mean, your cat just died.."

"Do you have to remind me?"

"Sorry. Anyways I know you're feeling a little low right now and I would hate to think of you here all by yourself. I may not be the best company in the world, but surely I beat being by yourself, right?"

"Why are you here? Really? Is it just so you can take pity on little Diane, crying over something so simple? Go ahead, get your laughs now while you can."

"I don't pity you. I feel bad for you, I wish there were something I can do for you. Would you like me to make you something? Some coffee or tea or something?"

"Yes please."

So he made his way to the kitchen, where he prepared her a cup of tea, added a hint of honey and brought it to her.

"Thanks, Sam. This is nice."

"Yeah, it is. I'm glad you let me in. I would hate to have to break down your door."

Diane put down her drink and looked at him. "Why Sam, would you do that? Are you really that worried about me that you would lsoe your head for a minute?"

"I didn't say that…"

"You are worried about me? I never knew you cared."

Sam looked at her. "Maybe it's time I told you ….yes, I do care about you. I care about you a lot. There, now it's your turn to laugh."

"Why, Sam, I would never laugh at your honesty. And for the first time I can sense that you are being honest with me. I never dreamed of the day where we could be honest with each other. My goodness, this is all happening so fast…"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that…"

"Yes, you should have! Now that we can both be adults and admit to what we're feeling, that changes everything."

"Oh yeah?"

Diane grinned at him seductively. "I think I'm ready for bed."

"But it's only eight o'clock! "

"I was wondering, would you like to join me? Nothing could happen, of course, but it would be nice to have some company, and I can't think of anyone I'd rather be with at this moment then you."

So they spent the night in each other's arms, Sam trying desperately to refrain himself from taking advantage of the situation, and in her grief Diane found that she just might have found the one she'd been waiting for all of her life. It was Sam Malone of all people? Who would have thought that she would have wound up with a bartender of all people? But from the looks of things things were about to get very interesting.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

They tried to pretend like nothing had happened- and technically, nothing had happened. But due to the events of the previous night, everything had changed, at least for Diane. She had witnessed a side to Sam that she had never thought possible. He'd shown restrain, compassion, tenderness- and she was dying to find out more with this new side to Sam. Every now and then at work, he would look over and catch her staring at him, so she would quickly turn her head as to avoid any conversation. But this was a whole new ball game for them, as Sam might say, and Diane wasn't sure what to think of it.

"You two wanna get a room?" Carla barked as she walked up to the bar to get her order filled.

"What? What are you talking about this time," Sam smiled as he eagerly prepared the scotch that she'd requested.

"You two..you are making me sick! I see the cutesy little glances you keep shooting at each other, and you haven't said a word to each other all day."

"I'd think you'd be grateful for that."

"Please. My stomach wasn't this upset each time I got knocked up. Do what you two kids want, but don't go around acting like this. You might as well kill me now."

"Relax, Carla," Diane interjected. "I'm not so sure I know what you mean, but rest assured there is nothing going on between Sam and myself. We are …friends."

"Great. I was friends with Nick Tortelli- until he got me pregnant."

"Carla, really, must you make everything about yourself? Just because Sam and I are at peace with each other, that doesn't mean anything. Why are you so concerned about us anyways?"

"It's just that Sammy is my best buddy, and I love him, but he doesn't always think with the right head if you know what I mean. Don 't say I didn't warn you," Carla shrugged as she left to serve the drinks.

"That Carla, sure is something," Diane said in a singsong tone of voice. "She gets the craziest notions sometimes. There is nothing to worry about. I'm not about to become one of your little playmates."

"Good thing, because I wasn't asking you to," Sam laughed.

"What? Why not?"

"Would you like me to ask you to become one of my ladyfriends?" Sam was honestly confused.

"No. But I want to know, why not me? Is there something about my appearance that you find repulsive?"

"No. You're all right, and I'm sure you know it."

"So why are you treating me differently than you do all the other girls in your life? I'm curious."

Sam ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. What did Diane want from him anyways? "Can we go to my office and talk about this?"

"Certainly. After you."

After Sam shut the door, he thought about what he wanted to say. "Don't get me wrong, I would love to get to know you better. But I don't want things to be like they are with my other girls. You're different. I don't know how, but you're different. "

"Oh, Sam," Diane sighed happily.

"Is that good enough for you?"

"I suppose it will have to do. Don't worry- your secret's safe with me." Diane walked away, fully satisfied with his answer. Sam respected her, and that's what made her different than all of those other girls. She'd fought hard to earn it, but now that she had it, it made all the difference in the world. Slowly, Diane would come to see Sam in a whole new light. But with the memories of the previous night fresh in her mind, she knew that things would never be the same between them. And she could hardly wait to find out how.


	3. Chapter 3

So as the weeks went by, more fleeting glances were exchanged, and there was none of the usual bickering that had marked their relationship. In a way, Diane missed the bickering, but this peacetime was nice too. Sometimes she started to make her usual comeback to him, but found the words were lost on her. Her! That has certainly never happened to her before, but she was sure they would come back. She'd spent hours, days trying to figure out the latest development with Sam, but no answers came to her mind. So instead, she tried to avoid him when she could, feeling guilty over her mixed emotions. Why she felt guilty, she wasn't sure. But for the time being all she wanted to do was avoid Sam if at all possible.

But all of that changed on a stormy night in Boston. Doing her duties, Diane went down the basement to fetch some more scotch, when suddenly she realized that the door had been stuck behind her. She hated nothing more than confined spaces, so after screaming for about ten minutes and beating the door, she finally sank to the floor, realizing that she might not be found that night. The thought was daunting; it was a Saturday night, and Cheers was closed on Sundays, so this did not look good at all.

Once again, Diane found her thoughts turning to Sam. What was it about that womanizing, self-centered jerk that drove her up the wall? Well, it seemed as if she had nothing better to think about, so she directed her thoughts to that mystery of a man.

Sam. Was it possible she found herself attracted to him? That seemed ridiculous, but after all , proximity brought strange bedfellows. He was certainly attractive enough, but he lacked none of the intellectual qualities that she looked for in a date. And the thought of him dating all of those women was enough to turn her head, but even she had to admit that she was a little curious about him. What made him such a magnet for young attractive women? Sure, he had his charms, and again he was decent enough looking, but wouldn't they tire of him after a while? Certainly she would, if she were in their shoes.

But for now, she found herself missing him for some strange reason. Why, she didn't know. It must be the heat. It was a hundred and one degrees in Boston, and add about ten more to the basement, it suddenly dawned on Diane that she might not escape this event unscathed. She looked at her watch- she had been stuck in the basement for forty-five minutes. Surely someone must have missed her by now.

Apparently they hadn't. So Diane decided to make the most of her circumstances. She was surrounded by alcohol of every type, so why not imbibe a little bit? She managed to grab a bottle of wine and twisted the top open, and drank like it would be her last drink. There, she thought. This isn't so bad. I'll be okay. Someone will find me.

The sting of the wine had relaxed her, enough to where she found herself strangely groggy, so she threw down her apron, bundled it into a little ball, and laid down on the floor. She had just begun to doze off, dreaming a strange dream, when she was awoken with a pair of very masculine hands on her shoulders.

"Sam? Is that you?"

"Yes Sweetheart, it's me. What the heck are you doing down here?"

Before she could answer, she started to cry and then flung her arms around him. "Oh, Sam. It's been so awful. I have been stuck down here, and I thought that no one could hear me. I've never been more frightened in my life!"

Sensing the gravity of the situation, Sam wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close to him. "It's all right now. You're here with me. I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

"You promise?"

"I promise. Now what do you say we get you off this dirty floor and upstairs where you can get cleaned up?"

"That sounds wonderful. By the way, Sam, did you shut the door behind you by any chance?"

"Of course. I always do."

She slapped him across the face, making sure that it would sting. "You..you …do you realize that you just locked us in here? We could be stuck here for days!"

"Oh crap. I'm sorry, sweetheart. I really am. Wanna make the best of the situation?"

"Do you think of nothing else? Our very survival is on the line and all you can think of is sex!"

"Hey, I was just trying to lighten the mood. It would beat seeing you cry again, you know I can't stand to see you crying."

She started to speak, but then his words sank in. "You don't like to see me cry? You never told me that before."

"Well it's only been recently that it's happened, and to tell you the truth, I feel so gosh darn helpless, I don't know what to do."

"Well locking me in here isn't exactly comforting."

"Do you really think I would lock you in this basement just so I could sleep with you?"

"I wouldn't put it past you."

"You really don't know me that well, do you?" Sam asked in frustration.

"Tell me something about you I don't know. I already know you're a hotheaded, flirtatious, conceited man, the most irritating person I have ever met!"

"You wanna hear something about me? Well I'll tell you something. I hate this. I hate basements. Ever since I was about six years old and my brother Derek locked me in the basement for an hour I get screwy in enclosed spaces. So forgive me if I'm not your ideal man. I am freaking out on the inside, but I know that I have to be strong for you, because that's what you deserve."

Diane looked at him and smiled. "I had no idea that you'd been through that."

"Yeah, well there's a lot more about me that you don't know, if you can put aside your little snobby attitude most of the time."

"I'm sorry, Sam. I guess I underestimated you, and I won't do that again. Friends?" she held out her hand.

He took her hand and pulled him even closer to her, to where she could feel his breath on her face. She closed her eyes in anticipation of the kiss she was sure would come, when suddenly they heard an all too familiar voice."

"Sam? You down here?" Carla shouted.

"Yes!" they both shouted.

"Thank God. You finally came to your senses and offed Diane, and now you're getting rid of the body. I'll leave you alone…"

"No!" Again Sam and Diane yelled.

"Do not shut that door. It.."

"Sticks. Yeah, every bonehead knows that. Come on up you two. If something happened, do me a favor and not tell me about it."

Sam and Diane looked at each other. Something had happened, maybe not exactly what Sam had in mind, but they knew then that nothing would ever be the same between them.


	4. Chapter 4

**From this chapter on things take on a more mature turn… It's rated M for a reason….**

During the next few days there was a heat wave like Boston had never seen before. The temperature was way past 100 and everyone was moody and bickering, and yet customers poured into the bar like never before. It seemed there was nothing better for most people in the heat than a nice cold beer- that and the air conditioning. It had been a long night when Sam and Diane were closing for the evening.

"Talk about your scorchers," Sam commented as he stacked the stools on top of the bar.

"I know. It could have been worse. We could have been trapped in the basement during this heat wave. Can you imagine the two of us…"

"Alone and naked?" Sam grinned.

Diane frowned, trying not to laugh. That was her Sam, all right. "I was going to say roasting to death, but you obviously had other ideas. I suppose I should thank you for being a gentleman."

"You'd thank me more if we were naked."

Diane took her towel and swiped Sam with it. "Careful, Buster. You're treading on thin ice. I thought that we'd come to an understanding of sorts, and you don't want me to rethink my opinion of you, do you?"

"It depends. Am I naked in your thoughts?"

"Sam!"

"Okay, okay. I agree, it has been rather nice to see us getting along for once. It's hard enough dealing with Carla in this heat- she's worse than when she's pregnant. Can you imagine what this place would be like if you weren't trying so hard to get along with me?" Sam asked.

"What do you mean, trying so hard to get along with you? I'm very agreeable. You 're the one who's been on his best behavior. I must say, it is a nice surprise."

"Oh, honey, you haven't seen anything yet. I can play nice when I want to. You on the other hand, it's much more difficult to make the effort."

"Oh, so now we're arguing about who's being nicer to whom? Of all the stupid, mundane arguments that we've ever had…"

Just as she placed her hands on her hips in protest, Sam shocked her by pulling her in for a long kiss. She was taken aback, but apparently not displeased, for she had no comeback this time.

"Perhaps you'd really like to see me play nice," he whispered in her ear.

"I'd rather jump in the sauna on the hottest day in July than to 'play nice' by your definition."

"I don't have a sauna, but I have a bathtub big enough for two, three on a good night. Why don't we take this little disagreement back to my place?"

"Sam, you know I can't…I can't…I can't…" she stammered in between well placed kisses along her neck and earlobes. It was getting even warmer in the bar, if that were possible, and she didn't know what to do.

"Come on, Diane. You know you want to. You know Sammy won't let anything happen to you."

"But what if it does.." She swiped him away. "What if we begin something that may not be the best for us? What if we discover…"

"The best way to cool down tonight? Sweetheart it's a scorcher out there, and it's about to get a whole lot hotter, at least the way I see it. So why not join me at my place? You always knew this day would come," he muttered as he continued to trace kisses along her neck. His breath felt so warm, Diane thought that if he kept that up another minute she would physically melt in his hands.

But would that be a bad thing? Would it really be that bad if she were to surrender to her urges and find out what made Sam Malone so irresistible to women in the first place? She sure as hell did not want to be just another number in his black book, but at the moment, she was clearly losing her head, and she found that it might not be such a bad thing after all.

"Okay, but on one condition…."

"Anything," Sam giggled anxiously. This was the moment he'd been waiting for for months now, and it was finally happening.

"You do not tell your buddies about this."

"But why not? That's the best part," he pulled back to look at her.

"I do have a reputation to protect…"

"Me too."

"I do not want to be just another conquest in your book. I want something bigger, something better for myself than that. And if you can't handle it, I suggest..ohh, I suggest we stop here."

"Anything you like sweetheart."

And with that, they were off to Sam's place, for what was sure to be a memorable occasion.

00000

He kissed her with such unbridled passion, Diane wasn't sure she would be able to remember her own name the next day. Luckily, Sam called out her name to help remind her, and it was the way he said it that drove her crazy.

"Diane…Di…ane…Diane…" he murmured in between kisses. It wasn't so much the fact that he was calling her name, but how he was doing it, that was turning her on so much. She grabbed him by the neck, so that their faces were mere inches away from each other, and she looked him in the eyes.

"What do you want, Sam?" she smiled seductively at him while tangling her hands throughout his thick mane on top of his head.

"You. Oh boy. I want you, Diane. I can't wait any longer."

"Well then, this just might be your lucky night." With that she started to unbutton the back of her dress. He quickly picked up where she left off, and removed the barrier to his happiness. She was even more beautiful than he had even pictured, and he had pictured this moment hundreds of times. Her porcelain skin glistened with the slightest hint of sweat, but not in a dirty way- just enough to make him want to lose his own mind at the very sight of her.

"What's the matter, Sam? Haven't you seen a girl naked before?" she teased while pulling down the strap of her brassiere, encouraging every carnal fantasy that he'd ever had of her.

"Oh but you're no girl," he managed to spit out. "You're all woman. Boy are you all woman."

She smiled while pulling down her other bra strap. "I think you know what to do."

Yes indeed he did. He quickly removed his shirt- wasn't the air on in his place?- and then helped her to undo her barely lingering bra, and then pulled her close to him, his left hand discovering what he'd only fantasized about in the past.

Her skin was so soft. How did she do it, he wanted to ask, but as he was quickly losing all normal thought processing, all he wanted to do was to feel her, to touch her, to know her. And that he did. Kissing his way down her neck and unto her bare shoulders, he elicited a soft moan from her in return, only further feeding his frenzy. He started to kiss every inch that he could see, hoping to please her the way she'd already done him, in ways that she would-could-never know.

He cupped her small but pert breast with his hand and then began kissing softly, taking her in his mouth while continuing to support her back with his other hand. He wouldn't stop until he heard what he wanted to hear..

"Oh, Sam…I love…that…"

That wasn't good enough. He looked her in the eyes and waited for more.

With the other hand he reached and began to feel her secret area, enjoying the response he was eliciting from her. She closed her eyes and enjoyed his manipulations, while he continued to wait.

"Say it, Diane," he ordered.

"Oh, God…please don't stop…don't stop…"

"Tell me you love me," he ordered.

In too much ecstasy to protest, she whimpered out a response. It was barely audible, but he could hear it just the same. "I love you, Sam."

Satisfied, he laid her down, removed his pants and underwear, then entered her quickly but gently. She was so little he was almost afraid he would break her, but in his own way, he had. She had said I love you, and even though he couldn't say it back, he knew that was what he was feeling. Since his words would fail him, he would just have to express his emotions the only way he knew how…

Feeling her tighten underneath him, he continued his movements until finally she cried out his name once again, her fingernails scratching his back as she held on for dear life. This continued until he finally realized that he could not hold back any longer, and he released right before collapsing beside her.

Turning to face her while pulling the sheets up over them, he smiled as he awaited a response from her. Maybe she would repeat her earlier declaration. Maybe she would say she wanted to do it again. Instead, she smiled that mysterious smile of hers before softly whispering, "Good night."

Yes, she was right, Sam chuckled to himself. It was a truly good night after all. And it was only just the beginning.

tbc


	5. Chapter 5

Diane woke up with little doubt to where she was. All the mirrors in the bedroom clearly indicated a vain man, one with questionable bedroom motives, lived there, and yet she didn't feel as bad as she told herself she should have. She did wonder where Sam went off to, but in another way, she was grateful for the moment of solitude that he'd allowed her.

So this was it. She'd finally given in to Sam, and as much as she wanted to say that she regretted it, she didn't. Not in all honesty. They had been through so much to get to this point, and while she thought that he would act as if this meant nothing more to him than his usual conquests did, she wasn't sorry it had happened.

What had changed? Their ability to get along for more than a minute had, apparently. Where she had once thought of him as little more than an athlete who'd had his day in the sun, she now saw Sam through fresh eyes. He'd been considerate and tender and affectionate, and not just in the bedroom. After her cat Elizabeth Barrett Browning died, Sam of all people had provided the comfort she had been so desperately seeking. Of course, she'd had no intention of going to bed with him after that, but what was the saying about best laid plans? So here she was, all alone in Sam's bedroom, and Diane couldn't picture herself anywhere else but at the moment.

"Hope you like your eggs over easy, I also made some hash browns and toast, along with a little o.j. The coffee is brewing, so this will have to tide you over in the meantime," Sam announced as he carried in a tray of food.

"You made me breakfast? Nice touch for a man whose bedroom looks like it belongs on the side of a road in Los Vegas."

"I'll ignore that comment. I haven't heard any complaints so far. Anyways, this is about you, and making you feel at home. You are comfortable, aren't you?" Sam asked as he set the tray down on the nightstand.

"Does it really matter to you if I am comfortable or not?"

"Of course it does. I don't know how you're feeling right now. I know I'm feeling a little squirrely, but that has nothing to do with you." Of course it had everything to do with Diane, but he wasn't about to fess up to that at that moment.

"Why Sam, you can be a considerate host when you want to do so. Who would have thought?" Diane smiled as she took a bite of toast.

"Yeah, you'd almost think I do this for a living. Serving, not doing what we did I mean."

She laughed. "Oh, you're good at what you do all right…"

He lit up. "Why thank you! I never thought I'd hear those words coming from you first thing in the morning."

"No, stop that. That's not what I meant. I meant you're a…an adequate server…at Cheers."

"Sure that's what you meant," he grinned. "Want to stay here all day? We could call in sick you know."

"As tempting as that offer is," and she was tempted. "I think our mutual absence would be duly noted by our friends. Remember, they can not find out about this."

"Come on, I can't even tell Carla?"

"Especially not Carla. She'd make my job a living hell if she knew what we have done."

"Oh all right. But there's no guarantee you won't tell anyone…"

"What do you mean? I can keep this a secret. Can you?"

"Of course. I'm a master at secrets. Remember, I have had…"

"Had what?"

"Nothing. How are the eggs?"

She stared at him. "You've had what? You were going to say many women, weren't you?"

"Maybe. But that doesn't have anything to do with right now. You're here and I'm glad you're here. Can we just leave it at that?"

"No. I don't want to be just another one of your torts that you use and toss aside for amusement. I want- I deserve- better than that."

"What do you want from me, Diane?"

"I want to know if this is leading to something. I don't do this for sport, unlike some of us in this room."

"There's only me and you in this room, so what you're saying is that I don't mind taking advantage of women. I get where you're going with this." Sam stood up.

"No, no, calm down, Sam. I'm just saying that I acknowledge your…experience, and I don't want to be just another number in your little black book."

"Oh, Sweetheart you're anything but."

Diane grinned.

"For one thing," Sam added. "I don't even have your number in my book."

Now she frowned.

"Not that I wouldn't mind putting it there."

She stared icily at him.

"Not that I would not not mind putting it there. Geesh Diane, you've got me where I don't know if I'm coming or going."

"You know, suddenly breakfast doesn't seem like such a good idea," Diane grinned slyly.

"What is it, the toast? Now I know I got it a little darker than I usually do, but I figured…"

"Why have breakfast, when dessert sounds so much more delicious?"

It didn't take Sam long to realize what she'd meant, and so after helping her remove the tray, he slid back by her side and they let nature take its course. Of course, they were both late for work that day, and no one was more surprised than Diane herself when she realized that she didn't care what anyone thought.

tbc


End file.
